Regional peace not possible without resolution of Kashmir issue: Gen Hayat

CJCSC Gen Hayat says peace in South Asia contingent upon maintenance of strategic stability in the region

KARACHI: Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Zubair Mahmood Hayat on Monday said that enduring peace in South Asia was not possible without a just resolution of the Kashmir issue in line with United Nations Security Council resolutions.

In an address to participants of an Air War Course at Air War College, Karachi, General Hayat said the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) were being subjected to injustice and atrocities by Indian forces for the past seven decades.

He said Pakistan’s security situation was a complex function of internal and external factors and reiterated that peace in South Asia was contingent upon maintenance of strategic stability in the region.

"These challenges demand a collective approach to promote security in the region and beyond. Partnerships based on cooperation will facilitate peaceful conflict resolution," he said.

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General Hayat's talk, titled ‘Pakistan: Significance and Responsibility’, was followed by a vibrant and candid question and answer session.

Pakistan's government and army have put up a united front in the face of rising tensions with India, following New Delhi's illegal revocation of Indian Occupied Kashmir's (IOK) special status.

At a joint press conference on August 17, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and military spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor demanded the withdrawal of Indian forces from IOK and vowed to fight for the disputed territory “till the last soldier and bullet”.

“Pakistan is fully ready to counter the evil designs of India with its highly professional armed forces, all other institutions and a spirited nation,” said Qureshi.

Major General Ghafoor said India should forget about Azad Jammu and Kashmir and “talk about bringing an end to its illegal occupation [in IOK].”

Prior to that, Pakistan Army’s Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Major General Nauman Zakaria, in a briefing to the National Assembly’s (NA) parliamentary committee on national security, said the armed forces were equipped to deal with any unusual situation arising out of Indian misadventure.

He said that soldiers at the border have been alerted and directed to effectively respond to any aggression by the state’s enemy.